The invention relates to cytocentrifuge sample chambers, and more particularly to an improved cytology sample chamber with port to receive a collection bottle or container, and a method for using the same to transfer biological material from a collection tool or container to the sample chamber for analysis.
Medical diagnostic processes commonly include collecting biological material specimens from patients for laboratory analysis. Biological materials subject to collection and analysis include, but are not limited to, blood, saliva, urine, epithelial smears, semen, and the like. In nearly all instances of specimen collection and analysis, it is necessary to transport the material specimen from the point of collection to the analytical laboratory, which may involve conveying the specimen a considerable distance through a large medical center complex. Occasionally, the specimen is collected in a clinic or physician's office remotely located from the laboratory, which may involve ajostling trip of hours or days from the point of collection to the point of analysis.
Additionally, and particularly in the case of epithelial smears, such as pap smears, current specimen collection practices involve one or more instances of shifting the collected material from one surface or container to another surface or container. Samples of epithelial tissue commonly are retrieved from the patient's body using some type of curette, such as a specialized swab, spoon, brush, or spatula. In this disclosure, "curette" means any tool adapted for collecting epithelial and similar solid or semi-solid tissues from a patient's body. Typically, for example, a pap smear is taken using a specialized long-handled swab or brush. The delicate bristles of the brush are gently scraped or daubed across the uterine lining to collect on the bristles a sample of uterine tissue. The bristles are then wiped across a glass slide to prepare a smear for microscopic observation and other evaluation.
Serum samples, such as blood, meningeal fluid, and some biopsies, typically are extracted from the body using needle syringes, and are then emptied from the syringe into a container for laboratory handling. Saliva and urine samples are more readily collected, but may also involve the passage of the body fluid from one collection container to one or more other containers for processing.
Laboratory analysis of collected biological material frequently involves the use of a cytocentrifuge for separating fluid samples into various constituent components. A general description of the centrifugation process, and a suitable apparatus for accomplishing centrifugation of biological fluid samples, is contained in U.S. Pat. No. 5,470,758 to Hayes, assigned to the assignee of this application, the disclosure of which is hereby incorporated by reference. The apparatus of the '758 patent may readily be adapted for use in practicing the present invention. Other background references providing details of cytocentrifuge construction and operation, and some of the advantageous and disadvantages presented in the art, include U.S. Pat. No. 4,853,188 to Toya, No. 4,678,579 to Griffin, and No. 4,391,710 to Gordon, the respective disclosures of which also are incorporated by reference.
Current methods of collecting and analyzing biological materials unfortunately present opportunities for contamination, spillage or, rarely, mis-identification of a specimen, particularly when multiple surfaces and/or containers are serially employed to convey a specimen to the laboratory centrifuge. Each point of transfer, such as from curette to slide, or from pipette to centrifuge sample chamber, poses some risk of specimen loss or contamination. Specifically, current centrifugation methods and devices commonly require more than one material transfer to place the specimen into a sample chamber in the cytocentrifuge. The present invention reduces the number of biological material transfers needed to move a specimen from patient to laboratory cytocentrifuge, thus improving the reliability of analytical results and promoting efficiency in cytocentrifuge use.